


Papercuts

by 9thdoor



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Band-Aids, First Kiss, Kissing It Better, M/M, Modern AU, Paper Cuts, papercuts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-09
Updated: 2014-03-09
Packaged: 2018-01-15 03:14:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1289002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/9thdoor/pseuds/9thdoor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Reading books gets you papercuts, and being friends with Eren gets you a lot of band-aids.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Papercuts

It had started off as a habit when they were kids, and really, such a little thing should never have been a problem at all. They were best friends, and doing something like patching each other up really should’ve been an obvious deal, no questions asked. With Eren and Armin, however, it was a bit different.

Of course, looking at the two of them, anyone who knew the boys at all would pin Eren as the one to get hurt more often, and if you thought of ‘getting hurt’ as scraping knees and taking punches, then it was definitely an accurate guess. Most of the time though, Armin ended up the one with completely wrapped fingers, or crying when they were little.

As Eren slowly got to know him better, he realized that with Armin’s avid love of books, papercuts were sure to be abundant. That was an understatement. The first time it happened, the brunet had scoffed, looking at his friend incredulously for getting so upset over a such a tiny cut, even insisting that he give himself one. Armin had tried to stop him, insisting that it really was bad, only to be completely ignored, and left with a sniffling Eren moments later. Needless to say, when Armin admitted that he usually got at least one, if not two or three a day Eren couldn’t believe that someone so...Armin could deal with that sort of pain, because those things stung.

It was the blond’s turn to be surprised, however, when the next day Eren showed up to his house with a rather clunky-looking shape in his pocket. He had asked what it was, only to have Eren scowl and insist that it was nothing, and was, “Only for emergencies.” Though still curious, Armin didn’t ask again until Eren pulled the box out, revealing that it was a box of band-aids. Princess band-aids. When he asked why Eren even had something this girly, he’d merely mumbled something about taking them from his sister, and then wasted no time in gingerly wrapping one around Armin’s index finger, where a fresh papercut had just been left.

As the weeks passed, the tips of Armin’s fingers were covered in band-aids, but not just princess ones anymore. Each week, as they moved from kindergarten to first grade, Eren brought a new box. He must’ve exhausted Mikasa’s supply of band-aids by then, Armin knew, but didn’t want to ask where he was getting them for fear of Eren getting defensive. They hadn’t been friends for long, after all, and he didn’t want to spoil it, especially with someone who was so insistent on bandaging every single cut.

On some days, when Eren wasn’t spending time with Armin and went out on errands with his mother, or was being forced to spend time playing dolls with Mikasa, the blond couldn’t help but break the promise Eren had made him make.

“You can’t read when I’m not around!” He’d insisted with a frown, and immediately Armin knew that he couldn’t agree to something like that. When he’d asked why, the response was that, “If you get hurt while I’m not here, I can’t give you a band-aid.” Eventually, they’d reached the agreement that Armin would keep a back up box at his house, if he really needed one while Eren was gone.

But the blond would never use them, because when his best friend came back, to find him with multiple fresh papercuts, he’d carefully wrap bandages on each one before kissing the tips, reasoning that his mom said that made things feel better.

And Armin liked those days, because Eren stayed later, and, well, of course he didn’t want him to leave, they were each other’s best (and for the most part only) friends.

As they grew up, they both knew that the ‘Kiss it Better’ policy wasn’t really all that helpful, and Armin insisted that he stop doing it unless they were alone, to which Eren reluctantly agreed. It wasn’t that Armin didn’t like it anymore, but fourth grade wasn’t a perfect place, and teasing only got worse if his best friend slipped up and kissed his hand during class, or worse, recess. 

And so the habit died out more and more, though Eren could always be counted on to have a couple band-aids or even a whole box in his backpack, and dutifully spent time with Armin in the school library, keeping himself busy by playing Pokemon while the other read. 

By middle school, when textbooks were distributed to everyone, Armin’s papercut count was increasing, and Eren’s supply of band-aids was waning. But he would always have at least one, and never hesitated to remind Armin that if one day he forgot, there would always be the back up box at home. Though slowly, the reminders became more teasing and less sincere.

Armin missed it, he wasn’t going to lie. He missed the younger Eren who didn’t care what people thought, who was going to carry around Hello Kitty band-aids stolen from his sister’s room and band-aids with fruit, and was going to kiss his best friend’s fingers despite the other’s protests. Middle school had never been known as easy for anyone however, and slowly he began to see less and less of that Eren, the one that he was slowly coming to care for more than he should’ve. 

Even as Eren’s stash dwindled, Armin’s remained the same, made up of just one box, which was missing a few band-aids from the first time Eren had brought it to him. 

Yes, here he was, just before his first day of high school, looking at a box of princess band-aids nostalgically. He was sure Eren had forgotten about them, or maybe assumed that Armin would’ve run out by now and bought some more. Maybe some generic, tan band-aids. 

But he still kept hoping that maybe sometime Eren wouldn’t be so worried about what someone else would think, and would kiss his fingers again, and—god, he was really becoming an awful best friend.

Even with all that, the fact that the brunet hung around him at all was completely astounding, given the fact that he was a complete book worm, and overall shy; Eren’s complete opposite. 

It was a rather normal seeming day in their junior year when Connie decided to ask about the princess band-aid wrapped around Armin’s ring finger. The blond laughed a little, his answer an, “Oh this?”

Eren had looked up now too, from the spot in the Jaeger living room where he’d been reluctantly ‘studying’ (which mostly consisted of throwing jabs at Jean which were quickly refuted by facts which the other knew and Eren didn’t) for the past half an hour. 

“Ah, it’s nothing,” Armin began to explain. Honestly, he’d only used it as a last resort, since Eren hadn’t seemed to notice. “I just got a papercut yesterday.”

“Princess band-aids?” Connie sneered with his usually impish grin, but now Eren was paying full attention, now sitting up as opposed to lying on his stomach as he’d been a minute before, only a few feet from Armin’s chair. 

“You must get a shit ton of those,” Jean offered, “With sticking your face in books all the time.” Armin smiled rather sheepishly but nodded. Eren didn’t seem as at peace with it as the others, and the blond knew it wasn’t going to be long before he ended up bursting out something ridiculous.

He didn’t have to wait long. 

“Did you get it at school?” Eren asked, looking at him with a slightly furrowed brow, and Armin wasn’t sure what else to do but nod. Eren had gone to a meeting for next year’s football tryouts at lunch, leaving Armin in the library.

“Who cares?” Jean scowled from the only other rather big, comfy chair in the room, which he was occupying, having dumped Connie off it. “It’s just a papercut.”

Eren temporarily turned to him, looking like he was going to spit some remark but seemed to realize that he’d regret that later and put his gaze back on Armin. They both knew that it wasn’t really just a papercut at this point. Besides, the look on Eren’s face was way too incredulous for something mundane like that now anyways. The brunet sighed. Armin waited. That surely wouldn’t be the end of it, right?

“Whatever,” Eren grumbled, put off for no reason, at least in Jean and Connie’s view. To be honest, Armin supposed he should’ve known better than to hope he’d do something ridiculous like kiss his hand right there, though he couldn’t help it. At least Eren seemed upset, he thought rather dismally, receiving a questioning look from Jean which he ignored, returning his attention to the book in his lap.

They continued studying like that for about twenty minutes in near silence, one which was only broken by Eren and Jean occasionally arguing about something that they both knew was essentially pointless. 

“Well,” Connie said rather suddenly, stretching his arms out and then scratching the back of his head, “I’ve gotta go meet up with Sasha in a couple minutes, so I’m getting out of here.” Though he and Armin, and probably Jean too, knew that the mood here just wasn’t that great, though it wasn’t tense for any reason they could pin down.

“A date?” Eren teased, a shit-eating grin on his face as he looked at Connie, who was standing and shoving his things into his bag with a roll of his eyes.

“Yeah Eren, something you can’t seem to get.” The look on the brunet’s face was well worth it to Connie, who half-cackled half-snorted and headed out towards the front door, calling, “See ya!”

At that point, Jean started laughing as well, resulting in Eren yelling at him for about five minutes about how he could most certainly have a date if he wanted to, only to have Jean whole-heartedly (and sarcastically) agree. The shorter was about to go off again when Jean stood up, holding out a hand for him to stop, which was surprisingly effective.

“Save your curses, I’m headed out too.” Armin’s heart sunk a little. Eren was going to definitely interrogate him now, if Jean really did leave. 

“Really?” the blond asked, earning a glare from his best friend.

“Oh come on Armin, don’t tell me you want this asshole to hang around!” He was just about to defend himself when Jean sighed.

“Hold the goddamn phone you two, yeah, I’m meeting up with Marco now, wait to argue like a married couple until I leave.” 

Beginning to sputter, Armin looked from Jean to Eren, who was nearly fuming, though had the dignity (and nerve) to repeat, “A date?” in his same, teasing tone.

Jean’s face most certainly didn’t flush, because he was so very good at hiding that, and instead of a normally snarky come back he merely said, “You still don’t have one, so I wouldn’t be calling other people out, you idiot.”

“Yeah right!” Eren burst out. If there was anything reliable about him, it was the fact that he would always rise to a challenge if it was presented by Jean. “I don’t need a date,” he pronounced, standing up rather quickly to perch on the edge of Armin’s chair, throwing an arm back around his best friend’s shoulders, “I’ve got Armin!”

Another thing one could always count on in Eren. An initial obliviousness that took a few minutes to wear off, and an utter inability to consider what he said before saying it. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Armin’s face heated up a little because—well, he couldn’t help it, really. Said like that, it made him a replacement for a date and—

“Jaeger, you’re kind of a fucking idiot,” Jean felt the need to say, which only pissed Eren off and caused him to pull his best friend more tightly against him.

“Oh yeah? And why the hell’s that?” Shaking his head, Jean didn’t even dignify that with a response, instead heading out just as Connie did, “Good luck Armin, that guy is lucky you put up with his shit.”

The door closed a moment later, and the shift in Eren’s attitude was immediate. He heaved a loud and obviously relieved sigh before retracting his arm from around the other, turning on the arm of the chair to look at Armin, a more serious expression on his face. 

“Gimme your hand,” he demanded, holding out his own quite expectantly, definitely not about to take no for an answer.

Still, Armin could certainly try. “It’s really not a big deal-You weren’t around so I just put one on when I got home.” He’d been about to continue explaining as his best friend grew impatient, taking his hand with a bit of force, giving him a slight glare. 

“No, it is, you should’ve told me. I mean,” Eren’s brow furrowed as he thought about it, “It’s not, because it’s just a little cut, but I’ve always—I mean-“ It was only now occurring to both of them how silly the entire situation was. Here they were, arguing about who had been the one to put a band-aid on his papercut, such a menial matter of little importance. But to them, it was much more than that, and inexplicably so. Armin himself was pretty sure anyone else would call them crazy for it, and the grin was suddenly back on his face.

“Well, since you had to deal with it alone,” he reasoned, and Armin had an awful feeling that this was going to end with Eren making fun of him again, “Want me to kiss it better?” Without a single moment of hesitation, or giving the other any time to respond, Eren raised the blond’s hand which he had forcefully grabbed to his mouth, kissing it ‘better’. Though, when he looked up from Eren’s always determined gaze to Jean, coming back through the doorway, he decided that this was most certainly not better.

“Wow Eren, looks like I’m not the only one who likes to kiss my best friend.”

“So what if I do?” Eren spat, and Armin felt his heart sink. God, if he said more of this stuff without thinking, he was going to end up getting his hopes up for nothing, and that always ended in rather sick disappointment. “Why the hell are you back anyways?”

“Left my sweater,” Jean shrugged, already picking it up off the floor and halfway out with a smug grin, saying, “Sorry for interrupting. Good luck Armin.”

“Jean it’s not-“ But the door had already closed, and now they were both silent, Eren brooding in anger over Jean in general, and Armin feeling his level of embarrassment rise, though he decided the only way to combat it was with teasing for the moment. “So,” the blond started, chewing on his lip nervously, even though he knew he was trying to get a rise out of Eren on purpose, “You like kissing your best friend?”

“I-“ he’d been about to go off about the way Jean had come in so rudely (not even knocking) when he caught Armin’s words, finding himself lost for them a moment later, “What? That’s what you take out of all of that?”

“Well..,” he mused, still biting down on his lip without saying much more, and he could feel the soreness spreading as he refused to unclench his teeth, the most awful idea forming. “I guess that yes, it was.”

“Are you chewing your lip again?” Eren nearly snapped, unthinkingly gripping his chin and squeezing, “Don’t do that, you know it bruises your lips.” Oh, Armin most certainly knew that.

“Sorry,” he muttered after a moment, relenting and stopping, his cheeks heating up. This was getting closer and closer to something he’d thought he’d never see, so Armin decided to take just a....well, little a risk. “Can I have a band-aid for it? I’m pretty sure it’s going to bruise again...”

“The hell? You know I can’t put one on your mouth, it’d just fall off. Honestly, for someone so damn smart, you suggest some pretty weird things sometimes.” 

“Wow, you’re just going to let me get hurt and not do anything about it? Twice in the past two days?” Armin was almost obviously teasing, but Eren only scowled, giving a, ‘tch’.

“Well band-aids don’t work, so I guess I’ll just have to skip to kissing it bet...ter.” His words had caught up to him only once he was halfway done saying them, and he could tell Eren almost instantly regretted it by the way his own face was gaining a rather obvious tint of red. Armin tried to think of something to say, but ended up just looking at him, rather wide eyed. “Whatever,” he sighed, a slight grumble in his voice and-then he was leaning forward, and this couldn’t be an actual thing that was happening, could it?

But it most certainly was, and Eren was kissing him, and for once it definitely did make this better, even if he wasn’t sure he could bring himself to say that. After a moment he collected his completely scattered brain enough to kiss him back, breathing out a soft sigh when he pulled away and looked at him.

“Yes, I like kissing my best friend.”

"Boyfriend," Armin corrected quietly, and Eren grinned.

**Author's Note:**

> Based off of this: http://rivaille-kun.tumblr.com/post/78254497142/armin-gets-a-lot-of-paper-cuts-so-eren-always-has  
> Written for a writing war, and I honestly don't think it's all that good, but it took me awhile so I figured posting it wouldn't do any (bodily) harm.  
> EDIT: I changed the ending a little bit. Literally by a couple words.


End file.
